Purge the Soul
by Made of Lilies
Summary: "Love the heart that hurts you, but never hurt the heart that loves you." Athos/OC (Athos POV)
1. An Unexpected Visitor

I enter my quarters and a wave of misery hits me yet again. For once more, I'm alone in the small and depressed space I call home; the only sounds giving me some sense of company being those originating from outside. Merchants loading off as the night has well fallen upon the city; men returning home to meet the comforting presence of their families. Something truly worthy to return to. Something I could only dream of.

I walk inside into the tiny room where my few belongings lay, my bed and a plain table. The state of the room is undeniably horrific; empty bottles of wine being the only appalling decoration. If anyone saw any of this, he would most certainly assume I'm a man who has given up on life, lonely as I am. Perhaps I have after all.

A small noise disturbs my miserable thoughts. I turn my gaze to the end of the petty hallway leading to the door and feel a pair of eyes piercing me. I cannot make out the figure through the vast darkness which was disrupted only by the soft burn of a candle on the wooden table.

"Show yourself." I demand strictly, with a tone that should make any unwanted guests think twice about their visit here. I motion to grab my sword that's still hanging on my loosened belt but stop at the sight of a petite silhouette emerging from the shadows.

"I'm deeply sorry for the intrusion." I can't see her face completely but the few features I can make out are enough to recognize her. Her exquisite nut brown eyes and the few tresses of wild curly hair appearing from below her cape are most definitely familiar to me.

I throw down my sword. "Rosette." I speak her name, inviting her to feel free around me.

"Am I bothering?" her voice is silky just like I remember it; sweet and melodic. Yet, it sounds weak and cracking.

She takes a couple of hesitant steps towards me. "No worries. Nothing to disturb." I point around the empty room. "I must say your presence here surprises me. Last time I heard you were in Venice. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" I ask and smirk. I haven't received a letter from her for quite a while now. I had supposed she had finally found someone worthy of her out of the vast number of men that have fallen for her winsome beauty and captivating disposition. But if there such a man by her side, she wouldn't be here. And most certainly not alone.

"I thought you would have been glad to see me." she giggles and approaches me a little more.

"Oh believe me, I am. I can see you're still as skilled as ever. Always so sneaky and silent. I barely realized you were even here." I show her the chair, inviting her to take a seat across me.

"I shall receive this as a compliment." she grins before turning serious again. "I am so sorry for visiting you here in your private quarters, but I fear my face cannot be seen anywhere in the city. Therefore, I trust you with keeping my presence in Paris a secret."

"May I ask why all the secrecy? You have never been one to make enemies. Like Treville used to say, you would make the finest of diplomats. What has changed now?" I let my lips form a tiny squirk of suspicion.

"Noone is aware of my arrival and if you wish for me to continue breathing, it should probably remain this way. The reason I came to Paris is a very delicate matter that I can only discuss with you, my dear Athos." she regains her posture as she seats herself and takes off her cape, allowing me to admire the full depth of her beauty. Her familiar strawberry blonde curly hair is down and perfectly waved in back, but it s caught in a pearl and bead net. She has always had this incredible talent to balance elegance and simplicity in the smallest of ways. God, I haven't seen her in person in so long I almost forgot how heavenly she looks.

Yet it's something else that grabs my attention. There is a garish bruise -roughly the size of a fist- on her cheek. It looks like she has suffered a pretty severe blow. An uncontrollable urge drives me to approach her, gently touching her injury with my calloused fingers. It happened before I even had time to think about it. Like my hand possessed a mind of its own. "What happened? Who did this to you?" I ask coldly.

She takes hold of my wrist and keeps my hand locked there. "It matters not. Let's just say I have done something that's earned some rather unfriendly responses by a few people. That is what I wish to talk to you about."

"I am all ears." I remove my hand and leans back on my chair but somehow the feeling of her petal-soft skin remains on my fingers.

"A few weeks ago we received an unusual visitor back in Venice. A rather peculiar man, if you ask me. He came with an interesting offer and a request of our services of course. He only spoke with Theo and exchanged a few words with Yvonne. Although we were both thoroughly informed of the details of our mission, it felt as if there was something missing. Apart from the man and the odd nature of his offer, it seemed as if our negotiations would serve another greater purpose from what was shared with us. Thus, I investigated our assignments' background a little more and discovered some quite disturbing factors we were never aware of."

"What kind of factors?" I encourage her to continue despite her obvious hesitance to speak of the matter.

"The plan was simplistic enough. Our part at least. There was a Conte over whom we only had to gather information. Conte di Banchia. Nothing of great significance. It was a piece of cake learning all details of his life. You know how it is." I only nod my head in acknowledgement. "It was petty information that our "employer" requested, it was this that caught my attention."

"What kind of information?"

"Mostly regarding his financials and some assets. Odd, isn't it?" I nod my head again and she continues "But the story became less vague as I connected the pieces of the puzzle. Eight days ago the Conte was mysteriously found dead in his home in Napoli. There were no injuries, no health implications. The case was closed soon after the official examination and no further questions were asked due to his death's unknown nature." she finishes plainly, letting me take in the facts and collect my thoughts.

"He was poisoned and they covered it up. What a surprise." I chuckle gravely. There's almost a dramatic irony to these kind of stories.

"Funny, isn't it? No matter how great one is, there will always be someone superior to outshine him."

"Do you believe this is the case here?"

She nods. "Someone seems to have prominent merits from the Conte's death-"

"Someone with enough power to keep everything under wraps as well." I finish the sentence for her.

She smiles at my remark. We have always had a way of reading each other thoughts; finishing each other's sentences. "Exactly. That is not all I'm afraid though. It is my belief that the Conte was fully aware of the scheme against him."

"Why is that?" the story seems to be getting more and more interesting by the minute.

Instead of answering me right away, she pulls out a parchment and hands it over to me. "The marked spots are every estate or piece of land owned by the Conte. This was what we found." she leans towards me to point at some land in Cilento. "This was where he was found dead. Apparently, since he suspected this plot, he had taken measures to protect his family first. He moved in his cottage in Cilento in order to make them believe they were all still in Italy."

"But let me guess. They were not. He sent them off to protect them?" I cut her off.

"Precisely. His wife and daughter are currently in Moutier d'Ahun. That of course is unbeknownst to these plotters. Luckily for them."

"They were planning to kill them all. So what is it that I can assist you with?" I finally conclude.

"They are not going to quit. They will find them eventually and once they do, the weight of their deaths shall be on my shoulders. I cannot bear that thought, Athos. So I plead for your help. I want you to accompany me and assist me. We will find them and take them somewhere safer, perhaps seek protection from the Queen. We cannot let them die." her voice is cracking so I take her hand in my own, seeking to comfort her.

"You never change, do you? This immense sense of justice and compassion has always been one of your remarkable traits." I manage to make her smile again and drop her hand, rising from my seat. "I shall help you. But like you said, we must be very careful. Is it likely that they have people in France as well?"

She raises her eyebrows ironically at my statement of the obvious. "Most certainly. And it is probable they have already suspected where it is they are hiding. But if they have, they cannot take action. Not yet. It would be too risky to give themselves away and risk suspicion. It hasn't been that long since the Conte's tragedy. They are going to be alert and smart."

"Then we shall be smarter." I smile at her. "We should inform the others and start working on our plan as soon as possible. I am sure Treville will be willing to mediate and speak of our problem to the Queen. Then we will have permission to go through with this and someone to support us. In the meantime, we have to make sure you remain safe." my hand reaches for hers again I pull it towards me, my eyes lock on my new discoveries.

I raised the sleeves of her dress to take a better look. There were scars, too. Lines across, like someone or something had dug it's nails into her, tearing her flesh. Someone had clawed away at her, the gashes told the whole story. It is horrible; the way they disturb the perfect texture of her skin.

"Are you going to share the story?" I expected her to pull away but she doesn't.

She shakes her head lightly. "Does it matter?" she tilts her head, looking me in the eyes.

"Did they do this to you?"

"No, thank God no. They are unaware of my actions. It is their ignorance that is keeping me alive right now."

"Then who?"

"You see, in this story there are more people involved than I originally knew. Apart from this man and whomever he might have been associated with in this plan, apparently there are others who might profit. And one of these others got someone to get rid of me."

"I am going to take a wild guess and say they didn't quite achieve their goal." I run my finger on the line of my neck and laugh. Chances are whoever attacked her is already dead.

She laughs with that contagious laughter of hers. "You know me better than I thought, my sweet Athos."


	2. Mademoiselle Rosette

"So...we're going to Moutier d'Ahun?" Aramis asks with that exciting tone of his that keeps getting on my nerves and I glare at him. "What? I've never been there. Besides, how long has it been since we last had a real adventure?" he snorts.

"It is not all fun and games." I state strictly.

"Speak for yourself." he laughs and looks at Porthos who's struggling to smother his chuckling.

"I have a question." I turn to meet d'Artagnan's childish look and nod, giving him permission to continue. "Who exactly is Rosette, we said?"

"An old friend." I reply simply and peek at Aramis who's smirking with the corner of my eye.

"A very beautiful old friend to be precise." he corrects him and I roll my eyes, glaring at him for once more. "Oh come on, don't be so grumpy. You can't deny she is one of the most breathtaking creatures you have ever come across. Even I have a hard time comparing her despite my much larger number of acquaintances..." he boasts and receives a small punch on the shoulder by Porthos, stopping him. Thank God for I wasn't sure how much longer he could go on.

"Interesting." I hear d'Artagnan murmur.

"Where is she now?" Porthos finally decides to join our conversation actively.

"Hiding in my quarters." I rise from my seat.

"That explains why you woke us up in the middle of the night. Won't be forgetting that." chuckles Aramis. "Where is she to stay during our trip?"

"She's coming with us."

"What? A woman accompanying us? Are you being serious?" I turn to see d'Artagnan's widened eyes in shock.

"Trust me if there's any chance we are to carry out this particular mission we are going to be needing her help. Besides, she can handle herself better than you could even imagine."

"Then we must leave soon, your mouse hole is not exactly the ideal choice of accommodation for a mademoiselle." says Aramis.

"I have that in mind and yes, we will be leaving as soon as possible. There's only one thing left to settle now and that is Treville. We will need him to speak to the Queen of our matter. Her support shall be valuable. Besides, Irene di Banchia is French and comes from a very well-known family."

"Royalty helps royalty." jokes Porthos.

"Indeed. And when is it that we will get to see the fine lady?" Aramis rises with a sly look on his face.

"When will you grow up?" I scoff.

"When **you** start acting your age and not like a grumpy old man. Does it not cross your mind that perhaps I missed the sweet and kind Rosette we all know and love?" I grimace at his suspicious little grin.

"I missed you too, my dear Aramis." a woman's voice is suddenly heard in the room. Well, not just any woman's voice.

We all turn our gaze to her direction, seeing her appear from the shadows for once more. _Why does she always have to do this?_

"What are you doing here? You were supposed to be hiding. The people after you, the deadly danger you are in? Does it ring a bell?" I attempt to scold her but obviously fail since I'm only met with an adorable giggle that lightens the mood.

"I was but I preferred hiding somewhere where I'm not alone. You know how much I despise feeling lonely. Was I supposed to spend all night in there?" she makes a childish grimace, approaching us cheekily.

"Oh pipe down Athos. She's safe here with us." Aramis doesn't waste any time and immediately takes her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles. "Did you really miss me? I'm flattered." he turns to her placing a hand over heart, making her laugh.

"Ever so modest." she jokes as d'Artagnan approaches her as well to introduce himself, again taking her hand.

"Pleased to meet you Mademoiselle. I'm d'Artagnan."

"Oh don't be silly. Call me Rosette. I'm pleased to meet you as well." she says cheekily.

"As you wish." he chuckles and I roll my eyes.

"And nice to see you too, Porthos." she tilts her head to look at him standing behind d'Artagnan.

"Always a pleasure." he nods and bows.

"Are we done with the introductions?" I growl. Everyone seems to be all cheerful and smiling in the room, yet I find it quite difficult to embrace that uncalled for optimism of theirs.

She turns to look at me again and her eyes are piercing me with that sweet intensity. "Athos! Do not be so churlish." she says and smiles slyly my way, touching my arm lightly.

 _This is going to be a long mission._


	3. The Puzzle Pieces

**The following day...**

We have been riding for a whole day with almost no rest. We passed a single village a few hours ago and restocked our food supplies. Soon we should reach Orsay and finally seek some accommodation. Thankfully, noone has made any of the complaints. Probably because we are all well used to long travels by now.

And there it is; after so long it feels like an oasis that we're offered here, a roof to protect us from the rain that's now beginning to pour heavily. The inn is rather small and poorly-built but it's something to start with. Besides, judging from the distance we are to cross until we reach our final destination, we ought to save our money wisely unless we wish to be left to stay in the forests.

It's only me, Porthos, Aramis and Rosette now since d'Artagnan is meeting us in the next village we're coming across, for we didn't wish to raise suspicion by travelling in a massive pack. It should not be that difficult finding rooms now either. We motion to enter but Rosette halts in her steps, stopping all of us as well.

I look at her suspiciously and open my mouth but Aramis speaks before I get the chance to. "Is there something wrong?" he furrows his eyebrows.

"And how exactly is it that we are planning to justify the presence of four men and a single woman, may I ask?" she turns to look at us who are staring dumbfounded.

We forgot to arrange the most important thing. Attracting the least bit of attention would be simply catastrophic and she is absolutely right.

"It crossed none of your minds. I am correct, aren't I?" she giggles.

"That is one way to put it." Porthos answers with a look of embarassment.

"What if we split? Two will stay here and the other two will continue. There's another inn in the city, not too far from here." Aramis suggests and we all nod.

"Fine, then. Rosette and I are staying here and you can seek the other inn. We'll meet first in the morning." I say but it comes off more as a statement rather than a suggestion as I intented it to be.

"And why is it that our pairings shall be like that?" Aramis jokes. "Do not get me wrong darling, but your snoring can quite ruin the moment." he turns to look at Porthos and Rosette bursts into laughter.

I only grin at his joke - not doing him the favor of laughing of course.

"Then I suppose it's time for us to leave if we want to get there dry. We'll meet again tomorrow." Porthos grabs the handle of his horse, making Aramis follow with a long face, yet I swear I could see the tiniest smirk play on his lips.

* * *

I arranged for two different rooms to spend the night here. The woman working down in the tavern I talked to stared at us quite intensely but I suppose that is expected. She must have thought we are a married couple in the beginning.

I left Rosette in her room to change and rest after we settled everything for tomorrow's plan but promised to bring her some food since I was heading back downstairs to get some myself.I am not sure what it is that happened. I do not remember much after going downstairs. There had been some patrons, that I can remember. A number of men eating and drinking and yelling. And then it is all just...darkeness. A blank space in my memory, yet so many questions to be answered.

I struggle to open my eyes, my lids heavy with exhaustion and as they flutter all I can see is some vague colors. I try again and now it's quite better. The sun is coming in from the small window and falling right on my face, blinding me. It feels like my head shall explode any moment now.

I blink furiously to try and focus on my environment, shifting on the bed I'm lying on to take a look at my surroundings. I close my eyes for a second to try and get up and when I open them again, she's there. She is smiling up to me from the floor where she's sitting, gazing at me.

She glances at me suspiciously a couple times and smiles at me with those beautiful dimples of hers that so many lads lose their mind to, but I do not say a word. Talking feels a tour de force at the moment. I do need answers, but perhaps not just yet. So she breaks the silence instead with her soothing voice.

"You are awake. I'm glad. If it weren't for your occasional snoring, I could have hardly been able to tell you were still breathing in the night." she giggles and moves a strand of hair falling in my eyes, allowing me a more clear sight of her. She is dressed but she must have not worked on her hair just yet as her wild curls are hanging loose, mesmerizing me a little with its shine and its unique tight ringlets.

There is a pregnant pause between us before I finally manage to collect my thoughts and speak, fighting the drowsiness away. "What happened? Why am I in your room?" my voice feels a little coarse, no wonder why...

"I got you drunk and lured you into my bedroom. Isn't it quite obvious?" she jokes and I let out a sleepy chuckle.

"You are far too sweet to do such thing. What really happened?" I joke back.

"You drunk that much that you can't even recall?" she caresses my face softly and sympathetically.

 _Drunk? The world flows around in my mind as I finally start to remember and collect the pieces of this puzzle..._

* * *

I'm updating again tomorrow or on Thursday! Please share any feedback you may have! I appreciate it so much! I love writing about Athos so much. :)


	4. A Man's Sorrow

It all comes back, piece after piece. The memories are rather faint and vague.

 ***Flashback***

This wine tastes dreadful, but I wouldn't spend any more livres here. All that had mattered to me at that moment was to find a way out of my thoughts. Finding myself alone in that room made me think and that is never a good thing. For she has -and always will- haunted my thoughts every single day. I had to drink, I had to stop thinking.

I lift myself from the chair and draw my feet towards the room, across the hallways that seem bigger now more than ever. The whole world around me is all a blur with a mellow glow, softening at the edges. My room is across Rosette's. Could she be sleeping? Bloody hell, I forgot to bring her food. Maybe I should-

My legs betray me and before I even realize it, I'm on the floor and sitting right outside her door. My efforts to rise again are vain so I simply remain there. This is not a first time, it will pass like it always does. Suddenly, the door opens behind me and I almost fall but she - she's there to catch me. She pulls me in and my feet drag on the ground as I throw myself down, loosening my collar a little. I blink my eyes to focus on her. She's in her nightgown. Shite, she must have heard his heavy footsteps against the creaky floor. She shouldn't be one to see him like that, in this state of decay.

Obviously concerned about my state, she struggles to pull me upwards on her bed. No wonder why, she's well a foot shorter than me. Despite my doubting her, Rosette somehow manages and next thing I know I'm lying on her bed, hopeless and lost as I am. She hurries up the bed to my side, taking a good look at me and panicking.

"What happened? Did you drink?" she asks hurriedly, taking off my coat and bringing my head up to have some water. I utter no words - simply growling in response.

I feel useless and helpless as she does everything to handle my state, making sure that I'm comfortable on her bed. But I just lie there, a million thoughts crossing my mind every minute.

I open my mouth to speak, making incoherent sounds in the process and failing for once more as she silences me with her softly spoken words.

"We can talk tomorrow. Now you must sleep." she commands me but in that smooth, caring manner of hers.

And sleep I did.

 ***End Flashback***

She must have noticed I was off for she's looking at me suspiciously with those huge, dazing eyes bursting with compassion. She must have questions but I highly doubt I shall be able to answer them.

"I can see you have reverted back to your old habits." she speaks softly yet I can barely look at her. Her eyes are still gentle but it feels like they're judging me. And God knows for once I prayed it could have been Porthos or hell anyone else helping me. But not her; anyone but her. Rosette has always had the ability to make me feel sorry for "squandering my life" as she would say. _Bloody hell! She has not said a thing yet and I am already feeling in the wrong._

"I am sorry you had to endure my state last night. I cannot thank you enough." I rise from the comfortable bed -not looking in her eyes once- and make my way to other side of the room where a bucket lies filled with water. I splash cold water all over my face and let it take action as she watches me carefully, silently.

"Do you wish to discuss this?" she asks and my heart aches at her concern.

"There is nothing to discuss. I was engaged in a company of drinking and things became rowdy rather unexpectedly."

"How often is it exactly that you find yourself engaged in these rowdy situations as you say?" she too rises, her eyes seeking mine.

"We should leave soon. It won't be long before the others set out to meet to us." I avoid her question uncannily and fix my clothing to leave but Rosette simply refuses to let go of the matter.

"You talk in your sleep, you know." I freeze and turn slowly at her words. "Although I am not quite sure whether it is the norm for you or if it is just the effect of the wine." she takes a couple of steps towards me, placing a gentle palm on my chest. "Why do you do this to yourself?"

"Rosette, please..."

"How is this any good for you? How can you allow yourself to decay in this manner?"

"Everyone has to face the price of their mistakes. This is my punishment for any errors of the past."

"You cannot continue like this, Olivier!"

My face begins to burn. "Do not call me that. I have not been that man for a long time now." I reply harshly, unconsciously raising my voice and turn around to leave the room.

"You will always be the same man to me. It matters not if you change your name. It matters not if you deny your title. Nothing has changed. She's still hurting you today as much as she did so many years ago." she cries and causes me to stop in my tracks.

"We must-" I attempt to reply but she interrupts me.

"No man has ever benefited from sorrow. We have all been hurt, we all have been broken. But here we stand; never alone." she finishes softly with a small whimper.

I cannot stand to listen a second longer as I can already feel tears beginning to gather in my eyes and so continue my way, leaving her alone in the room and not looking back. I know I shouldn't have done it, I know she does not deserve this treatment. I know her intentions are pure and caring. _But I can't withstand any confrontation, not yet._


	5. Moutier d'Ahun

It is now our fifth day on the road, our journey interrupted only for our nightly visits to different accommodations in each village we encounter. The journey has been rather unexpectedly tranquil, devoid of any disturbances. Ever since that day, Rosette and I have barely exchanged any words, she hardly glances my way anymore. I am not entirely sure whether the reason for our growing distance is her offering me the time to take in her remarks or she has taken my unforeseeable reaction and denial personally. My heart can't help but swell at the notion of me causing her any kind of hurt. There is this bothersome feeling of distress and perpetual doom lingering on my mind - driving me insane.

But what seems to bother me most is that the further apart we grow, the closer she and Aramis seem to be coming. Oh, how I envy those little moments, falling perfectly into place as they share the smallest of gestures and speak the pettiest of words. Like we once were. Now watching Aramis' advances towards her seems a little more disturbing that it should. For why should I care? It was no surprise after all that my friend had grown an interest in her.

I have always thought Rosette a princess. With her apple blossom skin and pale moon beauty, she could have been any saint, maiden or fine lady from the songs. In my eyes, no man would ever truly be worthy of earning her heart and keeping it. She could have had any man wrapped around her little finger with a single pout of her cherry red lips. A milliard of suitors ready to fall for her giant eyes, the color of midnight and raven wings. They are the type of darkness that isn't dark. They are sweet silence before dawn and pure enchantment. She could have ruled away, a duchess of a fair keep, but she would never be content - for no vanity gentleman with wealth and power would make her happy.

Across the foliage of the trees that stand mute in the harsh winter air, I can see the country road marking the entrance to the village. How fulfilling a sense it is to finally be here.

"This must be it." I assure them and ride off my horse first before turning to look at my companions.

My eyes lock on Aramis, assisting Rosette down her own horse and her eager response with a sweet smile. I curl my upper lip to keep myself from speaking. My mind whirling with thoughts that only made me assume the worst. I can sense the feeling of jealousy is slowly growing into my skin, filling my blood unexpectedly. I force my mouth into a straight line to prevent it from hinting any of my burning emotions. And suddenly, I am drowning in an uncontrollable urge to tear the two apart from each other - but of course I dare not do such thing.

Instead, I hide my heart as far up my sleeve as I possibly, humanly can and continue my way. I can feel her eyes drilling into me, that familiar look of concern adorning her features. I glance back at her, anger turning into sadness and despair. Being so close yet at the same time so far away.

We pass the greengrocer with his window full of apples and oranges, and the butcher with his bloody lumps of meat on display and naked chickens hanging up. I can see Rosette approaching me with the corner of my eye, her steps are hesitant as if she's too scared of engaging in any conversation with me. We decided to split for once more, leaving only me and Rosette to enter the house as the others waited outside for our own protection.

The door opens and a very large man -well-built and muscular- greets us. His height and appearance are more than intimidating with a stoic and fierce look to him so I assume he must be there for the family's safety. He immediately urges us to enter and suggests we wait patiently until the Contessa joins us.

A pregnant pause follows and silence is the only thing that fills the room. It's a rather typical cottage but most certainly large and fancy - nothing too extravagant and showy of course. I glance back and forth at Rosette whose gaze is locked on the stone floor, again refusing to look back at me.

So I finally decide to bite the bullet and make the first move, approaching her slowly. "I am sorry." is all I make out.

She turns immediately at the sound of my voice; her eyes drilling into mine. "Excuse me?" she speaks in that melodious voice of hers.

"For that morning. My reaction was uncalled for and I understand that you might be holding it against me, I wouldn't blame if you did but we need to resolve things. Believe me, hurting you was not my intention."

"Athos-" she takes hold of my hand that barely fits in her tiny one and for once more I become intoxicated by the feeling of her baby-soft skin against my own rough one. "-I am not angry. Or hurt. A bit disappointed perhaps, yes. But you need not worry about it for now. I highly doubt this is the proper place to have this particular discussion. Later perhaps?" she offers me her dazzling smile that I so much missed.

I only nod in response before we are suddenly interrupted by the presence of a woman in the room. Judging from her noble look, this must be her. She is a good-looking woman, with chocolate brown hair and no older than me but her soft eyes appear tired and the surprisingly many wrinkles on her face suggest that Elisabetta di Bianchia is a worn out woman, always mourning for the loss of her husband.

"Could I help you?" her voice is low, yet polite - adorned by her heavy accent. It looks like every bit of life has been violently taken away from her with the death of the Conte.

"Yes, actually. We are sorry to bother you Mademoiselle but trust me, our presence here is very important." I decide to take the lead and speak first. Her eyes are scrutinizing us before she gives her answer.

"Fine then. Shall we go outside? It's a wonderful day."


	6. We Have Company

"Nothing like the breeze of the countryside. Don't you agree?" she leads out the stunning garden, that despite the harsh winter is somehow still gracefully bloomed with all sorts of odd plants that somehow survive the cold. But despite the sun's misleading shine, the cold air blowing is quite annoying. Rosette lets out a small laugh as I struggle to keep my hair from getting into my face - yet Mademoiselle Elisabetta seems to take no notice in us with that dreamy look decorating her eyes.

"Mademoiselle, we are here to take you in Paris. You are in great danger here; more than you could ever imagine." I speak again, trying to get her full attention.

"How did you know where I was? Are you with them?" I watch as her features harden again and she takes a step back.

"What do you mean by **them**?" Rosette asks curiously, but then looks down embarrassed for interrupting.

"Those men. They- they asked so many questions." her voice begins to tremble as she seems to lose her balance slowly.

"Men? Did anyone else visit you here, mademoiselle?" I ask with a soft tone, wary of her fragile state.

She doesn't seem to have heard my question, but she shakes her head oddly. "No, not me. They were asking - in the village. They were looking for me, weren't they? They killed my husband and now my daughter and I shall have the same fate." she falls towards a pillar for support and Rosette immediately runs to her side, assisting her until the large man that greeted us comes outside to help her.

"Mademoiselle, please remain calm. There is no need to panic. We are here to get you out safe and sound." I assure her.

"And why is it that I should trust you?" the Contessa regains her posture and eyes us suspiciously, her eyes welling a bit.

"You are right. Your husband's death was no accident. But if you come with us, we will make sure those people that caused him such harm will never lay a hand on you or your child. But you do have to trust us." Rosette answers her before I can, making the brave decision of taking the mademoiselle's hand.

It has always surprised me how easily that girl can connect emotionally and sympathize with people. _Like I said before, a saint._

Her move seems to be working and the woman stops being defensive, instead she cracks a weak smile and nods. "I suppose I have no other choice but to show faith."

Suddenly, a loud bang on the door startles us all. The man opens and we all hurry back inside to meet the others rushing in and closing the door behind them; barricading it.

"Ι'm sorry to bother you mademoiselle. But it seems like we have company." Aramis speaks quickly.

"What happened?" Rosette yet again speaks my words before I get the chance to.

"A group of men have come into town, armed." Porthos states gravely.

"Smells like trouble, doesn't it now?" Aramis jokes light-heartedly.

A loud child's cry coming from upstairs seizes our attention. "Bernadette!" the Contessa screams as she runs upstairs to grab the infant and Rosette hurries after her so I decide to join them, ever so worried for their safety. We must be quick.

Yet as Rosette and I reach the second floor, the woman is nowhere to be found. So we decide instead to follow the child's noises coming from the infirmary. Still, the Contessa is not there and the little girl is not in her crib. The bangs on the door become louder by the second. It shouldn't be long before they make it inside.

"Mademoiselle!" I shout, desperate to find them but Rosette hushes me and points down to the bed.

Indeed, the sounds seem to be coming from under the gigantic frame of the bed. I pull out my gun, ready to take action as Rosette lifts the heavy bedding and we take a look. It is no criminal, no enemy. Just a young girl -perhaps no older than eleven years old-, holding the infant child tightly in her small arms, burying it in her narrow chest while whimpering. I simply stand there, merely dumbfounded and at loss of words.

Rosette instead acts quickly and spreads her hand to invite the girl to come out. "Do not be afraid." she lies completely on her stomach to look at the girl directly and earn her trust.

The girl responds and slowly, shakingly gives out her own hand so we pull her outside. "Please...do not harm us." she cries pleadingly.

"We will not. We are here to help you. But we need to get out of here as quickly as possible." Rosette speaks sweetly.

The girl nods and I take the baby, handing it over to Rosette as I grab the girl and run downstairs to the kitchen.

"What about the Contessa?" Rosette stops in her tracks.

"She must be downstairs. Come on, we have no time to waste." I urge her and we continue our way.

The others are already in the kitchen; waiting for us before the loud bangs turn into a deafening sound of smashing wood.

"I thought you had barricaded the door." I scoff towards my companions.

"Oh believe me, we had." Aramis laughs me away.

"There's a back door here. We can use this to get out." Porthos finally suggests.

The sounds of men breaking into the house and shattering everything in their path to seek us are convincing enough and so we all run outside, straight to the horses as we make our way out of there as quickly as possible.

* * *

 **Hi guys! I wanted to make up for not uploading for so long so I made two chapters really quickly to repay you! I'm so sorry you had to wait. I hope I didn't lose your support and love though. I am not sure how to feel about this chapter. I just feel like I suck at action scenes and stuff. Please let me know what YOU THINK because I really need your advice. Love to you all!**


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